Meet Big Brother housemates
| Wednesday August 8, 2007 00:00
ANGOLA - Tatiana (26);
Birthday: March 31
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Luanda
Height: 1.76m
Occupation: Actress/model
Tatiana is a model and actress by profession. She's won a Best Actress Award in her country twice consecutively for a career that she says she loves and is good at. It's no wonder then that she would love to visit Hollywood and to meet actress Uma Thurman. A fan of Brazilian soapies, Tatiana relaxes by going to the beach and says audiences should watch her on Big Brother Africa 2 because she's fun and entertaining though she admits that she has some bad habits. These include the fact that she believes she's never wrong and she sleeps too much!
Asked to name her favourite memory, she answers by saying, 'my weekends with my late grandmother.' Tatiana's favourite food is oysters, her favourite colours are orange, and pink and white while on the fashion front the Angolan says she loves wearing minis and dresses that show her figure.
BOTSWANA - Justice (23)
Birthday: January 17 Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Serowe
Height: 1.52m
Occupation: Freelance Journalist/Student
If he wrote his own book, Justice would call it An Idiot's Guide to Harnessing the Marvellous Power of Madness. An absolute enthusiast for the art of debate, Justice says if he won USD 100, 000 he'd use part of the money to start a debating organisation. He also says his favourite memory was when he presented a bid for Botswana to host the World Universities Debating Championships. 'I was thrilled by the reception and encouragement I received.'
And, if he wins a task in the Big Brother house, Justice would like his reward to be sponsorship to study at Oxford or Sydney Universities because they have the best debating societies in the world. 'It may sound intense, but yeah that's me, I'm quite a character'. Listing his bad habits, Justice says, 'I'm too controversial, I debate anything. I like playing the devil's advocate.' He relaxes by reading, admires Richard Branson ('to say that he is amazing is an understatement'), his favourite foods are Thai and Chinese and he'd love to visit Necker Island.
GHANA - Kwaku (30)
Birthday: June 1
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Kumawu
Height: 1.77m
Occupation: Self-Employed (Entertainment Consultant, Brand
Architect, Artist)
Ghana's Kwaku says that it's in the interest of DStv audiences to watch him on Big Brother Africa 2 because he'll 'keep them entertained.' He also says that he wanted to be on Big Brother Africa 2 because he felt he 'had the winning qualities required.' A fan of Ghana's Black Stars and self-motivating literature, he says that if he could spend one day with someone famous, he'd pick Jay Z for a few simple reasons. 'I admire his creativity and believe we are like-minded individuals. Not forgetting the fact that the sky would be the limit as far as our money-spending potential on this said hypothetical day!'
Kwaku says the achievement he's most proud of is performing on BET's '106 and Park' because 'In a world full of religious and racial intolerance as Africans we were able to set an example in a foreign country that suggested that an African was equally capable of achieving tremendous heights as anyone else in the world.' When listing his bad habits, Kwaku says that he likes to take his time when doing stuff and is very analytical.
KENYA - Jeff (23)
Birthday: November 21
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Kisumu
Height:1.85m
Occupation: Novelist and Entrepreneur
The author of a recently published book, 23-year-old Kenyan Jeff describes himself as 'competitive, confident and courageous'. Widely travelled across Africa, Jeff has taken in the sights and sounds of Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. He also lived in Harare in Zimbabwe for three years as a teenager.
Looking to the future, he'd love to visit Lagos saying, 'I love Nigeria and Lagos symbolises the country and its people, its busy, jam packed and full of life. I could write a million novels just by giving Lagos a single stare.'
Though he relaxes by meditating, Jeff is a workout fanatic who normally trains in the mornings. He also says that though he is his own hero, if given the opportunity, he'd like to meet Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Kalusha Bwalya, Roger Milla, George Weah and former Big Brother Africa winner Cherise of Zambia.
MALAWI - Code (31)
Birthday: June 2
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Blantyre
Height: 1.74m
Occupation: Broadcaster
Malawian radio personality and music man Code would love to visit Paris, likes weight lifting sometimes, enjoys reading music magazines, loves nature and wants to meet Al Gore because of Gore's role in the Global Warming Campaign. He says that the best advice he ever got was from his father who told him to 'brush your teeth and keep your breath fresh all the time'.
Code relaxes with his favourite beer and a good movie, with some of his favourites being The Bourne Identity, Hitch, Casino Royale and The Rising Sun. He says audiences should watch him on Big Brother Africa 2 because he is 'the full package'. He explains by saying, 'I write songs, I am an artist, I am true to myself, and I am a great entertainer with style.'
NAMIBIA - Meryl (21)
Birthday: March 8
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: RSA
Height: 1.65m
Occupation: PA / Receptionist
She's the youngest housemate on Big Brother Africa 2 and Namibia's Meryl couldn't be happier about being on the show. The 21-year-old Namibian says that being on the show means she can now show people who never believed in her what she's capable of and who she really is.
Meryl describes her clothing style as revealing, sexy and seductive and would love to hang out on the islands of Hawaii. She has no idea what her most embarrassing moment is and when asked about her bad habits, says: 'Apparently I tend to be very lazy.' She loves music and when she's not relaxing by listening to her favourite songs, Meryl enjoys shopping and watching television. Her favourite shows include Prison Break, Desperate Housewives and Egoli, among others. Whilst she was born in SA, Meryl is Namibian raised and when speaking about her home, Meryl says the whole country of Namibia is beautiful but her favourite place is the country's well-known dunes.
NIGERIA - Ofunneka (29)
Birthday: August 9
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Jos, Plateau
Height:1.6m
Occupation: Personal Assistant to Medical Director
Nigerian Big Brother Africa 2 housemate Ofunneka is a 29-year-old Lagos resident who holds a BSC degree in Chemistry. The straight talking Ofunneka says that the event that changed her life was the recent end of a relationship, which she describes as 'an eye-opening experience'. She would love to travel to Rome and to visit the Vatican to see the Pope.
Asked to name her best achievement so far, Ofunneka says that it was when she was named Staff of the Year just six months into her new job. 'This showed me that with God by my side, hard work and determination, I am destined for greatness and my colleagues and my boss saw this too.' She's also very clear about why she entered Big Brother Africa saying that she wanted to participate 'for the exposure, to sell my talents to the whole of Africa, and explore opportunities beyond the shores of my country.' A fan of reading, cooking and listening to music ('all at once'), Ofunneka believes that 'the sky is just the beginning'.
SOUTH AFRICA - Lerato (24)
Birthday: October 31
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Soweto
Height:1.75m
Occupation: Events co-ordinator
South Africa's Lerato knows exactly why audiences should watch her on Big Brother Africa 2. The advertising college graduate reveals that she's full of surprises and says, 'I even surprise myself so you never know what you gonna get.' Having been selected as a housemate, Lerato says she wants to see 'how far I can push myself'.
A collector of Converse sneakers, with a desire to visit Jamaica and the Caribbean, Lerato says if she wins the big prize on Big Brother Africa 2, she'll buy her mom a new car, donate some to charity, invest some and go on a vacation! Meanwhile, she credits her mom for the best advice she's ever been given which was simply, 'you can't make everyone happy, so start with making yourself happy and the rest will fall into place.'
TANZANIA - Richard (24)
Birthday: August 10
Gender: Male
Place of Birth: Ilala
Height: 1.77m
Occupation: Student
If he won USD 100 000, Tanzanian housemate Richard says he'd spend it buying film equipment. The 24-year-old film student is passionate about making movies and considers filmmaker Peter Jackson is his personal inspiration.
The only married contestant on Big Brother Africa 2, Richard would love to visit his wife's hometown of Brandon in Manitoba, Canada to see 'where and how she grew up'.
Describing himself as a very entertaining person, the housemate says that he doesn't embarrass easily and that his bad habit is that he is very loud in the morning, before any one else is fully awake.
He plans to win Big Brother Africa 2 without losing his integrity and self-respect. A lover of the natural beauty of East Africa, he says that his favourite memory is driving through the Ngorogoro Crater watching the different wildlife. He also says that the best places to visit in Tanzania are the Serengeti National Park and the coastal areas, especially Zanzibar.
UGANDA - Maureen (27)
Birthday: September 5
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Entebbe
Height: 1.65m
Occupation: Fashion Designer
Describing herself as playful, naughty and silly sometimes, Maureen says that going to India to study changed her life. She says that graduating from college in India was her best achievement because 'the culture is so different from mine'.
A fashion designer by trade, she's coined the term 'glamassic' to explain her clothing style, which is glamorous and classic. Maureen relaxes by doing yoga, would love to visit New York and watches Formula One racing.
She loves reading biographies and her favourite book is the biography A Woman Named Jackie. Speaking about her country Maureen says Ugandans are very welcoming and that the best place to visit in Uganda is Jinja. Maureen loves music by Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Tina Turner. She also loves the TV programs Survivor, Cheaters, Everybody Loves Raymond and Prison Diaries.
ZAMBIA - Maxwell (26)
Date of Birthday: June 27
Gender:Male
Place of Birth: Lusaka
Height: 1.85m
Occupation: Call Centre Operator
Zambia's Maxwell feels strongly about social causes.
The call centre operator says that when relaxing he spends most of his time helping the poor.
If he's given the opportunity to spend the day with someone famous, he'd choose Nelson Mandela because 'he's got a heart for the poor'.
And if Maxwell could visit any one place in the world, he'd go to Martin Luther King Square.
Asked what he'd like to be given should he win a task in the Big Brother house, his list of possible rewards includes a trip to Robben Island.
Over and above his social conscience, Maxwell has a sense of humour, even about his most embarrassing moment ever.
'I was busy boasting about how much I loved my girlfriend only to discover she had already dumped me!' Maxwell loves music by Malaika, Mandoza, Bricks, Nathan Nyirenda, K'millian, Koffi Olomide, 2Face, P-Square and the Sakala Brothers.
ZIMBABWE - Bertha (28)
Birthday: June 2
Gender: Female
Place of Birth: Harare
Height:1.65m
Occupation: Lawyer/PR and Communication Consultant
Bertha spent a year in the United States (US) as an exchange student when she was 16 and says the experience taught her to appreciate and love her home country.
'I was an ambassador, a student, and a teacher.
I had to learn about my people and teach others about my heritage. That changed my view of Zimbabwe and of Africa.... then began my love affair with my continent.'
Bertha says that she wanted to be on Big Brother Africa 2 because 'my mother is a fan!' Further the law graduate encourages audiences to watch her on the show 'because I am camera-genic, full of life, eloquent and a prankster.'
However Bertha does say that she tends to be bossy and critical.
A fan of the Springboks, the Stormers, Manchester United and Real Madrid, Bertha admires Oprah Winfrey because of the talk show queen's ability to empower others to be better people.